Arguably when you think of the much and generously advertised cell phone in this society, and at this point in time, there are many thoughts that come to the mind.
There is without any doubt, also, something covertly political about the cell phone and the way it is talked about by official circles. It has been, in recent times, a symbolic weapon used by the officialdom to propagate the over-advertised economic successes of the Shaukat Aziz government. Where is the former Prime Minister, is something that almost every discussion on the subject of food inflation ends up wondering.
A friend of mine who is a strong advocate of still more cell phones in this society, but is terrified at the risks that he has survived with regard to mobile phone snatching, has been trying to find out the cell phone number of former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Why is he doing that? I asked him.
He said that he wanted to talk to the former Prime Minister about the various economic problems that have surfaced as soon as he left the country, and without the fanfare and the image building that he advocated and practised throughout his stay in office.
"I want to talk to Shaukat Aziz about food inflation, and the overall rise in prices that has made life hell. He argued that the truth about the economic theories of the former Prime Minister has been exposed and that all the empty rhetoric that he had trumpeted ad nauseum about the improvement in the life of the common man was something that should not be overlooked.
What do you want to do? I went on. He said that Shaukat Aziz's cell phone number should be made public so that the people have the option of expressing themselves to the former Prime Minister directly.
But let me return to the cell phone which is almost central to a very common serious crime that is taking place all over the country, but Karachi is a prime target. The details are well known of how cell phone snatching is widespread. But there is another side to the cell phone theme. That the gadget is used in other heinous crimes.
And amazingly and disturbingly there are about 7.2 million unregistered SIMs that have been issued by the cell phone companies reflecting the ferocity of their competition in the last few years. What the government was doing about this is evident and what the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) failed to administer is also so obvious that leaves one dumbfounded. This is also demonstrative of the quality of governance that we have seen in almost all walks of life.
It is the low quality of governance and the absence of good governance (save PTV speeches that the officialdom made) that get reflected in this sudden and chaotic surfacing of the ugly spectacle of mob justice that Karachi has seen in the last one week. Mob justice. That is the theme that is agitating the Pakistani mind, and once again what is more worrying is that there are large sections of society justifying what happened, when robbers and dacoits were set on fire by people who had caught them. What is more frightening, said one housewife, is the thought that we may end up seeing more of this - more of what happened in Ranchore Lines and North Nazimabad.
She sounded profound when she reminded that "now angry frustrated citizens set public vehicles on fire if they are involved in road accidents, and they beat up drivers. This may happen to private vehicles also. "Read this as a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor" she went on and on, and I was speechless.
What has happened in these incidents being described as "mob justice" is stunning in its impact, and nightmarish scenarios come to the mind, when one looks at the reality of poverty that is walking around us as one psychiatrist, Dr Syed Haroon Ahmed, said on TV yesterday was that while we have witnessed some street trouble for water shortages in recent years, food riots are a distinct possibility given the general frustration of the people. Indeed the way in which life's essentials are becoming unaffordable and inaccessible for the common man is something that the country's decision-makers do not appear to be comprehending.
The absence of justice and the pursuit of justice in Pakistani society are not political issues being commonly manipulated. An inner desire for justice is what seems to be characterising and typifying this society at this point in time. And finally so. If the coming of age of ideas is what actually happens in societies, it makes me wonder whether it is happening to Pakistani society too. Economic justice is also a human need.
But let me return to the cell phone which has had me reflecting on variations on this theme. The point about unauthorised SIMs has been raised seriously by the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, and it has asked the PTA to ensure that the authorised SIMs, are blocked by the 22nd of May - that is tomorrow.
There are advertisements being issued in the media that the SIMs will be blocked, but there are also reports that the cell phone companies are seeking more time for verification. Our track record with deadlines is unimpressive and we are accustomed to delays and missed targets and schedules. Shall I end this column with the thought about mob justice that is a scary one? Or the thought that I missed this column last week.!
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